Purpose-Built Bags From Bravo Co. A group of professional photographers and skateboarders create their ideal bag brand It seems a bag company crops almost weekly, and though each label might bring something new to the table, highly considered design elements tailored for specific uses are rare. For the greater skate community, function and value weigh equally, which is good news for new bag brand Bravo Co., which excels in both realms. After an early collaboration with Union LA, the brand now presents its full collection. As the newest venture for a group of skate industry veterans (including Andrew Reynolds and photographer Atiba Jefferson), Bravo was started to provide an audience with clean, functional bags to carry all one would need while on the go. What stands out most about the admittedly conventionally designed line is the discreteness in design when it comes to carrying a skateboard. Rather than feature unsightly velcro straps prominently across each bag, more clever systems are utilized, making the bags attractive.

In addition to the backpacks and duffle, the Niner case is a simple little pouch to carry a phone and an additional digital camera. Made of durable, waterproof nylon, the sleek case will always be smarter than a back pocket. Having just recently launched, Bravo Co. is only available through a select few stockists. Visit Bravo Co. for more. Images courtesy of Bravo Co.Log InSubscribed, but don't have a login?Activate your digital access.From classroom to boardroom, a backpack fits the billWhen I graduated from college, my parents presented me with a nice leather briefcase that they hoped I would carry proudly into the work world.  At first, the briefcase made me feel mature, giving me some much-needed gravitas as I walked into my first job as a twenty-something computer tech.  But, after a few weeks of struggling with loose cables, a huge laptop — remember this was 1992 — and an unfriendly combination lock, I gave up.I threw my briefcase in the closet and committed to make an accessory change that has served me ever since.

Now after years of self-doubt and ridicule, I’m going public with the decision I made all those years ago.Yes, I admit it: I am a business executive who carries a high-school style backpack to work.Loaded with a laptop, iPad, cables, water bottle and granola bars, my backpack is my workday survival kit. Easy to hold, sturdy, light and low-cost, my backpack makes me more productive and mobile. I don’t worry what it looks like. It represents the spirit of modern work.You are what you wear, some declare. Or, you are what you drive.  I say you are what you carry.  Often surrounded by leather briefcases, satchels, and expensive purses, my backpack and I can sometimes feel out of place in the corporate world.  We tend to fit in with techies, but look funny in a boardroom.  Nevertheless, we’re outfitted to go in and out of data centers and corporate lobbies with equal confidence.The way I see it, there are four basic options for hauling your stuff around:The purse. Once considered only for women, apparently the purse is now for men as well. 

Whether it’s called a purse or a "man-purse," this choice is really more about looks than utility.  In my humble opinion, laptops and lip balm just don't mix.titan backpack lbtThese are pretty cool.  m6800 backpackSimilar to an old school satchel, the laptop bag has its place.  kipling seoul metallic backpack with laptop protectionWith a single shoulder strap and filled with storage pockets of all sizes, the laptop bag is handy.   quechua backpack symbiumThe main downside: After a few years of lopsided lugging with the laptop bag, you will need physical therapy or surgery on one of your shoulders.kastrup backpack review

Though it’s still carrying status in the business world, I believe the briefcase is on its last mini-feet. Nowadays, you need both hands free —  one to hold your phone and one to open a door. smoed backpackHow many millennials do you see biking to work carrying a briefcase? My bag of choice. Can carry anything from mobile devices to gym clothes.  With two straps, you can sling over both shoulders or drape over one shoulder for short-hauls.  The choice is yours.There may always be those who’ll argue that the backpack looks juvenile or too casual for a business setting. Granted, it might feel peculiar to walk out the door looking like your two middle-schoolers, all armored in chinos, polos and backpacks. But those middle-schoolers are onto something. They’re prepping for the commuting workforce of the 21st century.So if I may speak (briefly) for the rest of my backpack toting business people, it is time for us to rise up and demand some respect. 

We've got room for it, right in our backpack pocket.JJ Rosen is the founder of Atiba, a Nashville website design, IT, consulting, programming, networking and web development firm. The good crew over at BRAVO have released a new backpack design worthy enough to house your precious camera gear. Designed with functionality and durability in mind, the Delta Block II Arid Backpack is dressed in an Afghan War Rug print for the fall season. The storage solution is made from a waterproof 500 denier nylon and boasts extra strength nylon straps, a custom tri-pod pocket, and reinforced plastic mesh windows to keep your equipment secured. Along the interior we find a customizable velcro organization system, a dedicated 15″ laptop compartment, and multi functional horizontal/vertical skateboard straps. The BRAVO Delta Block II Arid backpack is available now at BRAVO’s online store for $330 USD. What to Read NextHailing from Colorado Springs, renowned photographer Atiba Jefferson first made his way on the public scene pursuing his passion for skateboarding and photography.

Acquiring a staff position at international skateboarding publication Transworld SKATEboarding early in his career, would later help Jefferson hone his craft and prepare him to launch his own skateboarding publication — The Skateboard Mag — with close friends J. Grant Britain and Dave Swift in 2004. For our latest Essentials segment, Atiba offers us a look inside his Bravo Backpack for a gander at the daily necessities responsible for aiding one of the sharpest individuals behind a lens. Consisting of mainly utilitarian accessories, the Colorado native limits his cherished essentials to no more than what is needed to get the job done, a cameo made by the highly-coveted Leica M6 gives proof. While music is essential for many of us, Jefferson does not stop at listening, but also takes part in composing sounds with the help of the Akai Ipk 25. Jefferson’s SOL REPUBLIC headphones and earphones, coupled with his Sol Republic Speaker, are nods to his avid nightlife of DJing with twin brother Ako Jefferson under the moniker “The Blackouts.”